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Test’s 101st venue set sights on taking game to new heights

In a match where the overall run rate was a snail-like 1.48 per over (they were eight-ball overs in those days), remarkably only one man in Australia’s first innings total of 245 was able to hit a boundary. That was Test cricket’s inauguration. How things have changed.

As the Dubai International Cricket Stadium gears up to become the 101^st Test venue in the world and only the third on neutral soil, it’s easy to forget how far the game’s most treasured format has come.

Test cricket

When the Dubai International Cricket Stadium opened its doors in 2009, it signified the turning of a page for cricket in the desert lands of the UAE; effectively consigning 20 years of iconic cricketing encounters between the world’s best sides in Sharjah, to the annals of history.

But, while the warm memories of those 198 ODIs will never fade, the torch has very much been passed on to a newer, bigger stadium in Dubai with credible ambitions of being at the forefront of cricket’s future through day-night Tests and international events in the future.

If the game had outgrown its regional home in Sharjah by the late nineties, it certainly has plenty of space to grow into its new 25,000-seater base in Dubai. And, thanks to a multitude of factors, an opportunity to carve out a new path for the UAE’s cricketing future beckons.

“This moment has come quicker than we may have hoped for, but we are proud of first bringing ODIs and T20s to Dubai for the first time and now a Test match,” said Macky Dudhia, General Manager Sports Business at Dubai Sports City speaking ahead of the first Test.

“Sharjah will always be close to everyone’s hearts here, and for good reason. So we plan to build on that foundation and take cricket here to new heights. This is a significant moment for sport in the region”

Comparisons with the days of old are natural and justified. The bar was set high by Sharjah, but times have changed: schedules have tightened, and player availability has become increasingly sparse. Dubai’s coliseum will struggle to compete with Sharjah in terms of games played, but with Test cricket about to make its debut in Dubai and the prospect of hosting day-night Tests under the stadium’s unique ‘ring of fire’ lighting, there’s little need to look back. The future, it seems, is bright.

“Our lighting system is unique here as is our bull-ring atmosphere,” said Macky.

“Being a neutral venue means it’s not easy to ensure our fixture list, but we certainly have ambitions to broaden the use of our stadium’s facilities and this Test match is the beginning of that.”

The first five-day encounter in Dubai will certainly herald the beginning of a new era for the game here; a region that became so synonymous with limited overs cricket. Yet, ironically enough, the stadium may now find itself at the forefront of Test cricket’s immediate future thanks to its shadow-free lighting system, making it a front runner to host day-night Tests– a format the ICC is giving close consideration due to falling attendances in many countries to traditional day Tests. ICC President David Morgan commenting in May that ‘it would not be long’ before we witnessed day-night Tests.

Macky said the Dubai International Cricket Stadium’s progressive approach and a knowledgable cricket-mad fan base would lend Dubai well to the likes of day-night Tests in the future.

“Building stadiums in this part of the world isn’t easy, particularly because expectations are so high. Dubai has become famous for it architecture, and if we wanted to inspire local sports fans we had to make sure we exceeded those expectations. And we have.

“The stadium has made a real name for itself in a relatively short space of time, thanks to its atmosphere and intensity and we are all excited about bringing Test cricket to Dubai for the first time. If day-night Test cricket comes along, we’re ready to host that too.”

This Test will make Dubai the 101^st international Test cricket venue in the world, a fitting number for a location that’s gearing up to celebrate the game’s most rudimentary format for the first time.

And South African captain Graeme Smith, a veteran of 86 Tests and more than 10 years at the top of the world game was demonstrably impressed by the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, and felt the atmosphere it created was as imposing as he’s experienced anywhere in the world.

“We weren’t sure what to expect from this tour, given that we’d never been here before,” Smith pointed out whilst speaking exclusively to Khaleej Times ahead of the first Test.

“But we’ve been mightily impressed with what we’ve seen. The Dubai International Cricket Stadium is hugely impressive, and when you’ve got almost 24,000 people packed in here it’s an arena that’s hard to beat for sheer noise.”

I speak on behalf of our whole team when I say we’re really looking forward to this inaugural Test match.”

Sentiment echoed by new Pakistan Test captain Misbah Ul Haq. He will have much on his plate preparing his side to compete against the world’s second best Test team, but to lead the ‘home team’ out for its first Test in Dubai will be one of the proudest moment’s of his career so far.

“Being made Pakistan captain is an honour. Being able to captain my country in this stadium for its first Test match is even more humbling. Everyone in the team loves playing here. We can’t wait to get underway.”

And so while the cricketing public looks forward with eager anticipation to that first ball being bowled on an autumn morning on Friday, those at the heart of Dubai Sports City will be taking note of how far they’ve come.

Sharjah’s legacy has prepared them well. Time now, for Dubai to shape the future.